Acron Aviation Academy

Shaping the Future of Flight. How We Elevated Pilot Enrollment Through Full-Funnel Marketing Approaches

About

Acron Aviation Academy, formerly L3Harris Airline Academy, is a premier global flight training institution with a legacy of producing highly skilled commercial pilots. Headquartered in Sanford, Florida, the academy offers a full spectrum of pilot training programs, from foundational licenses to advanced type ratings, serving students from around the world. Known for its state-of-the-art facilities, experienced instructors, and strong airline partnerships, Acron equips aspiring aviators with the technical skills, professionalism, and industry connections needed to launch successful careers in aviation.

Length of Relationship

January 2020 - Present

Modalities Supported

On-Campus

Main Objectives

Drive domestic enrollments for the Sanford, FL academy, repair online reputation of the academy

primary kpis

Cost per Lead (CPL)
Total Leads
Lead Quality (based on CRM-defined conversions)
Application Starts/Complete (Count, Cost per, Conv. Rate)
Enrollments (Count, Cost per, Conv. Rate, ROAS)

CRMs & Marketing Platforms

eMA
Salesforce
Zymplify
GA4

The Challenge

When global and industry-specific turbulence hit the aviation sector, Acron Aviation Academy needed more than just lead generation — it needed a way to overcome pandemic-driven enrollment declines, rising financing hurdles, and Florida’s fiercely competitive flight training market, all while reinforcing the strength of its brand story.

Global pandemic impacts: The 2020 COVID-19 crisis brought pilot hiring to a halt, creating a ripple effect across flight schools in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the United States. International travel restrictions, grounded fleets, and airline furloughs slowed enrollment pipelines to historic lows.

A major brand transition: In April 2025, the academy was sold to private investors, transitioning from the backing of a major aerospace corporation to operating as an independent brand. The rebrand to Acron Aviation Academy marked a pivotal moment — creating an urgent need to build awareness, reinforce credibility, and communicate the continuity of training quality during a time of change.

Financing hurdles: With training costs reaching six figures, prospective pilots often rely on financing to begin their education. Over the past 18 months, tightening bank lending criteria created additional barriers to entry, requiring a sharper focus on communicating the long-term career value of Acron’s programs.

Competitive market saturation: Florida is home to over 100 FAA-certified flight schools — the highest concentration in the nation — making differentiation critical to standing out and attracting the right students.

Perception refresh: In a crowded, highly competitive market, Acron also needed to reinforce its reputation by spotlighting student success stories, quality training, and industry partnerships, ensuring the brand narrative reflected the strength and credibility of its programs.

The Approach

To meet ambitious enrollment goals and launch the new Acron Aviation Academy brand with impact, we built a full-funnel, data-driven marketing program designed to close the gap to 420 enrollments in 2025 while laying the groundwork for sustainable long-term growth.

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Key initiatives:

Launched a unified "Preferred Choice for Flight Training" brand message across all paid, organic, and offline channels to support the April 2025 rebrand.

Built audience strategies for four high-value personas with tailored creative and messaging.

Concentrated 60%+ of paid media budget in Florida and top out-of-state feeder markets, while expanding selective national and international reach.

Activated a multi-channel mix including Paid Search, Meta, Snapchat, Reddit, LinkedIn, CTV, streaming audio, and direct mail to drive both awareness and conversions.

Integrated CRM data for audience suppression, lead scoring, and persona-based automated email/SMS journeys.

Executed a reputation management and digital PR program to improve review ratings, generate positive media coverage, and enhance sentiment in search results.

Applied a "test and fail quickly" optimization framework to creative, audience targeting, and offers, reallocating spend to highest-performing tactics.